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I have always liked the name Cassandra.  There is something about it that is very gentle yet strong, a perfect name for an artist or musician. I wanted to name my only daughter Cassandra but her father didn’t agree, citing the dark side of the name’s origin. It seems that in Greek mythology, Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. She was quite a beauty, rousing the passion of the Olympian deity Apollo who, in the throes of deep infatuation, granted her the gift of prophecy. Now there’s a present! Much better than the flowers and candy that today’s young women receive from their suitors.  You would think she would be happy with this guy, but Cassandra proved to be a little short-sighted and maybe a tiny bit dim-witted.  She did not return Apollo’s love, which in retrospect was maybe not the smartest move considering that Apollo was a deity with supernatural powers.  Apparently, in spite of being really bummed out, Apollo proved a classy guy because he did not demand the gift of prophecy back from Cassandra, even though she wanted nothing to do with him.  Instead, he altered the thing a bit.  Although Cassandra had “the gift”, no one would ever believe anything she predicted, which had to be extremely aggravating.  Let’s just say that her popularity with her friends and kin fell off drastically at this point, which I suppose is to be expected since everyone thought she was a colossal liar or at least nuts. Let me just say that things for her went from bad to worse and ended badly for her. Of course, after learning all of this, I was forced to concede that my then-husband had a point and we named our daughter something else.

It is ironic that in my professional life I find myself suffering from a touch of the Cassandra Syndrome.  I spend most of my time and effort trying to deliver a message that is true and important, all the while knowing how difficult it is to get people to take action or to even listen to the message.  And, as Cassandra found out, that really is a bit maddening.  The message is pretty straightforward: invasive species are killing North America’s forests and we better do something about it right now. That’s it. It is completely true and extremely urgent.  Maybe people think that I’m a bit nuts and call me “Cassie” behind my back.  Maybe people really do hear the message but find it uncomfortable to hear that another beloved thing is going down the tubes.  Whatever they think, the truth is that although the story of Cassandra is a myth, the ruination of our forests is an actual, ongoing event that should not be ignored or placed on the back burner. Destructive forest pests and diseases are being spread far and wide by well-intentioned but uninformed people moving infested firewood. I have seen the resulting devastation to trees and fragile forest ecosystems.  I know how incredibly close we are to losing the precious forest resource on this continent forever.  Because I believe that the actions of even one person can make a positive difference, I will continue to spread my message with faith that individuals will wake up and make small but significant changes in their behavior. People will start to listen if enough of us pick up the banner and keep spreading the word.  Protecting our forests can only be accomplished through the persistence and determination of the growing number of people who recognize the truth of this message, so please help. Don’t move firewood and encourage your friends not to move firewood.  Visit this Web site frequently for ideas.  Become informed and spread the information. As for the young women who join us in this endeavor, try to avoid good-looking Greeks named Apollo. Trust me on this one.